Caleb Ewen gets his 4th stage win in this edition of the Tour Down Under

Video of Stage 6 final kilometers

The Race: here's the story for stage winner Caleb Ewen's Orica-Scott team.

Orica-Scott have capped off the 2017 Tour Down Under with four stage wins, second overall and the sprint jersey following the final stage in Adelaide this afternoon.

22-year-old Caleb Ewan sprinted to victory on the city-center circuit, ahead of world champion Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe) and Marko Kump (UAE Abu Dhabi), for his fourth stage win and to secure the sprint jersey by a convincing 12 points.

“I actually joked with my girlfriend at the start of the week that I would go for four stages but I didn’t actually think it was going to be possible,” Ewan said of his success at the 2017 Tour Down Under. I kept backing up and feeling good every day, the team backed me 100% on the days that could have gone either way and I really have them to thank.

“I felt like the pressure got more as I won more. It’s not usual that you get lucky enough to win all of the sprints in one race and I was just waiting for something bad to happen because there’s a whole lot of luck that goes into winning a race.”

In what was a dramatic final battle for the overall podium, Colombian climber Esteban Chaves safely secured second overall behind winner Richie Porte (BMC Racing Team). Jay McCarthy (Bora Hansgrohe) moved himself into third place thanks to a strategic intermediate sprint. Chaves, who has started his 2017 season earlier than in previous years, said he is looking forward to building on the form already shown in the past week of racing.

“We are really really happy, not just me but all the team,” Chaves said. “We won four stages, the (People’s Choice) criterium and second in overall so this is a beautiful form for starting the season. Richie started very well here. He showed a really good performance and on the two climbs he had no contenders.

“We came here for the summer because the other seasons, for me, start super hard in the beginning, in March or April when it’s cold, and it’s not really good. So we tried something different, we started early, so we will see. It’s one experiment.”

How it happened:

There was plenty to play for on the final day of the Tour Down Under, despite Porte having a stranglehold on the overall title. Chaves started the day in second place on the general classification but a narrow three second margin to Nathan Haas (Dimension Data) meant that bonus seconds could see a shift in the podium.

The racing didn't disappoint, with the first intermediate sprint hotly contested and won by McCarthy who moved himself within three seconds of Chaves and into second overall by countback. A bigger breakaway group then formed, easing the pressure as they swept up the second intermediate sprint points with no threat to the overall contenders.

Racing calmed down in the build up to the crucial final sprint which would determine the last stage victor and overall podium. Ewan again showed he was the fastest rider in field to claim his fourth stage, whilst the minor placings eliminated any threat to Chaves' overall standing.

Orica-Scott now travel to Victoria for Race Melbourne and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

21 January, 2017, Willunga Hill (AUS): Richie Porte has continued to re-write Santos Tour Down Under history with his fourth consecutive win on Willunga Hill, with a stunning solo attack on the final ascent of the climb.

Porte crossed the line with a 20-second advantage on Nathan Haas (Team Dimension Data) and Esteban Chaves (ORICA-Scott), to extended his lead to 48 seconds over Chaves in the General Classification.

The penultimate stage of the Santos Tour Down Under was the final battle for the General Classification contenders and with Porte holding a 22-second advantage before the stage, the battle for the ochre jersey was far from over.

A four-rider breakaway went clear soon after the McLaren Vale start and built a steady advantage over the BMC Racing Team-controlled bunch. Three remaining breakaway riders remained in front on the first ascent of Willunga Hill but will 10km to go the reduced peloton was closing in.

At the bottom of the final ascent it was a small group of riders left with Porte joined by teammate Rohan Dennis. As riders began to drop, Porte attacked with 1.7km to go and managed to accelerate clear of his rivals and take the solo win for the fourth time in his career.

Porte's win was enough to secure the King of the Mountain classification, with just one stage remaining, and Rohan Dennis remains in sixth on the General Classification.

Interview with Richie Porte

Richie, you've won on Willunga Hill for the fourth consecutive year. How does it feel?

"To win the stage like that is great. I get the accolades up there on the podium as the winner, but I can't say enough for my teammates. Each and every one of them put me in a great position today and it's just nice to finish it off. With one day to go I'd love to win this race. I'm so happy."

How was it on the final climb?

"It was the hardest climb up Willunga Hill that I've had so far. I didn't want to go so early but I didn't think they would attack so early on Willunga Hill. I was in a world of pain there. But the other guys were more stuffed than I was so I think that was the perfect moment to go."

With one day remaining you have all but wrapped up the ochre jersey.

"Tomorrow's not a procession. I'm in a good position and I think I can stay out of trouble. I just want to finish it off tomorrow. I've always wanted to win this race since I raced it with UniSA. I've said it before, I'd love to have my name up there."

How confident were you ahead of today's stage?

"It's been a hard week of racing and they [my rivals] were good. They pushed me. Team SKY made that really hard at the bottom which kind of played into my hands a bit. At the end of the day obviously I've shown that I'm in good form. To win two stages here is just incredible. This is not an easy climb so to win it is great for the morale. For me the biggest goal this year is July with the Tour de France."

Sports Director Fabio Baldato:

"Firstly, Richie was amazing and strong at this moment. The team really sacrificed themselves for him, all of the guys. When you have a strong leader ready to win then the guys can give extra, more than 100%. In this situation the team was really motivated. First Ventoso who rode the first 100km, and then Miles on the approach to the climb, and then Danilo, Amael, Damiano. It was Rohan who gave the extra power that we needed for the final. Rohan did an amazing job on the climb. So thanks to the whole group for the spirit they had and racing together like that."

"With a big advantage we are confident that we can race calmly and controlled, but we won't relax until the race has finished tomorrow."

The Race: Here's how stage winner Caleb Ewen's Orica-Scott team told the tale.

22-year-old Caleb Ewan has once again out-sprinted some of the world’s best cyclists to win stage four of the Tour Down Under, his third victory this week.

A desperate chase and late catch of solo breakaway survivor Jack Bauer (Quickstep) made for another hectic finish, but Ewan, with the help of Orica-Scott teammate Daryl Impey, kept his cool to make another well-timed move up the finish straight for the win.

The result backs up a dream start to the 2017 season for Ewan, with victories at the People’s Choice Classic and stages one and three of the Tour Down Under. Each finale presented its own challenge but concluded with the same result.

“I really couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year,” Ewan said. “My team again did an amazing job. They really backed me on a circuit that could have gone either way and I think you saw on TV that they really committed to the chase and they were really committed to another win today. All of the wins I have had in the past few days, the finishes have been really different. I knew this one was going to be tough but it was tough for all of the sprinters

“Today was a tricky one. It is hard for a lead out train to stay together down the gorge. I was with Daryl Impey for most of it and he did a mega job. He had to move me up but then he pretty much took me to 300metres to go too so it was an amazing turn.”

Ewan credited the team and his growing experience and strength for his success that today saw him once again edge out world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Danny Van Poppel (Tream Sky). “All of the victories are thanks to the team,” Ewan said. “Without them, and without their support obviously I couldn’t have got the victories that I have. It’s a victory for me but it’s also a massive victory for the team.”

“I’m another year stronger, I’m not fatiguing as much as I used to and I seem to be able to back up stage after stage at the moment. Tomorrow we will go for Gerro (Simon Gerrans) and Esteban (Chaves), so I will go back into a support role.”

How it happened:

In what was likely the final chance for the opportunist, the peloton were restless as they rolled out of Norwood for stage four of the Tour Down Under.

A break away of three, featuring Cameron Meyer (Uni-SA), Jack Bauer (Quickstep) and Ondrej Chik (Team Bahrain Merida), formed but with Chik less than a minute behind in the general classification, the trio weren't given much breathing room. Meyer and Bauer eventually dropped Chik in a last ditched effort to break the elastic to the bunch.

Behind, Will Clarke (Cannondale-Drapac), Michael Valoren (Astana) and Lars BaK (Lotto-Soudal) tried to bridge across to the leading duo but Clarke suffered an untimely puncture and the remaining two were also swept up by the peloton.

When Meyer and Bauer extended their lead to 1minute 50seconds Orica-Scott recognised the danger and sent riders to the front to assist in the chase. The final 25km of the stage descended through the gorge which aided Bauer, after he left Meyer in his wake, but he fell agonisingly short and was caught in the final four kilometres.

A hectic finish saw sprinters without full lead out trains but Ewan had teammate Impey to move him up the bunch and then assist in shutting down the early sprint of Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe).

Jumping off Impey and onto the Team Sky train, Ewan picked the perfect moment to hit the front on the uphill drag to the line for his third win in four days.

The Race: Here's the story from stage winner Caleb Ewen's Orica-Scott team.

22-year-old Caleb Ewan has claimed his second stage of the 2017 Tour Down Under, sprinting to victory in a messy bunch kick into Victor Harbor on stage three today.

Ewan, who also won on the opening stage of the six-day race, avoided a crash in the final five kilometres and came from a long way back, but timed his move to perfection to win ahead of world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Niccolo Bonifazio (Team Bahrain Merida).

“It was definitely satisfying,” Ewan said of today’s victory. “It got really really hectic in the end and I thought in the last ‘kay’ I was too far back but luckily I made my way up before the sprint and had a good run to the finish.”

“I lost my last (lead out) guy in Daryl Impey in the crash so that was a big blow. But I just held in there tight and tried to jump onto some of the other wheels and it opened up for me in the end.”

The victory was just reward for the Sydney-born rider, who worked hard for his Orica-Scott teammates on yesterday’s Queen stage, despite wearing the ochre leader’s jersey.

“Today was pretty tough backing up from yesterday,” Ewan said. “I went pretty deep and it took me probably three quarters of the race to really get into it again.”

How it happened:

The peloton rolled out of Glenelg for the third day of racing at the Tour Down Under, but it wasn’t long after the flag dropped that the first attacks began.

Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) was the antagonist and he gained a narrow advantage on an alert peloton. The reaction from behind saw three riders bridge across to join him out in front.

The quartet, which also included Clement Chevrier (AG2r La Mondiale), Jeremy Maison (FDJ) and Vegard Laengen (UAE Abu Dhabi), rode out to a maximum advantage of around four minutes as they approached the finishing circuits in Victor Harbor before the peloton began to increase their pursuit.

As they rode into the final 30km, the gap began to decrease and Laengen launched a solo attempt on the penultimate lap to keep his hopes of a stage win alive. De Gendt tried to join him but the duo went unrewarded as the bunch came back together for the final sprint.

A crash in the final five kilometres made for a messy finale but Ewan avoided any trouble and timed his run into the head wind to perfection.

Tomorrow’s stage four starts in Norwood and travels 149.5km before finishing in Campbelltown in what could be another opportunity for the sprinters.

Richie Porte has claimed the win on stage 2 of the Santos Tour Down Under with a brilliant solo attack at the base of the Paracombe climb. Porte crossed the line 16 seconds in front of Gorka Izagirre (Movistar Team) and Esteban Chaves (ORICA-Scott) to claim the leader's ochre jersey with a 20 second advantage ahead of the final four stages.

Porte's victory is his fourth stage win at the Santos Tour Down Under and the first time he has worn the ochre jersey.

The 148.5km stage started with five laps of a circuit around Stirling where Jasha Sutterlin (Movistar Team) launched a solo attack after the first lap and gained a five-minute advantage. The peloton picked up the pace after exiting the circuit and caught Sutterlin in the final 40km, making way for the battle for position on the approach to the Paracombe climb.

Porte's BMC Racing Team teammates brought him to the front and as the peloton reached the base of the climb, Porte put the hammer down and made a solo move. As he reached the halfway point of the climb, Porte had stretched out his advantage and upon crossing the line had a comfortable lead over his General Classification rivals.

Interview with Richie Porte:

Richie, you've taken your first win for 2017. How does it feel?

"The BMC Racing Team boys were just incredible this morning. They really looked after me the whole day and it's nice to win on Paracombe. It's good to get a win already this season and now we'll try and defend this jersey."

Talk us through the lead up to the final climb.

"We started with the five laps around Stirling. We didn't really race it that hard which is a bit of a shame but at the end of the day I think I have a good gap on the General Classification. I know it's not over with a few quite hard stages remaining. The team are fantastic and strong so I'm quite confident."

How confident were you on that climb?

"I know I've got good climbing legs and I didn't really want to wait around so to be able to ride away like that gives me good confidence. I knew I had to back myself and I knew I had the form to do it. But to take the time I did, it's a good position to be in. I might have to sacrifice the Willunga stage on Saturday to defend my lead if I still have the jersey. There's some stressful days coming up so we won't be counting our chickens until they hatch. We'll take it as it comes."

How does this win compare to others in your career?

"It's incredible to wear the ochre jersey at the biggest race in Australia. I'd love to win it. I enjoyed today and the work that the BMC Racing Team guys did for me today was just absolutely incredible. I did a lot of training in the off season for this climb. I made a mess of it two years ago so to come back and make amends like this is just a dream."

Fabio Baldato, Sports Director: "It was a perfect day. It wasn't an easy day though and the approach of the climb was really hard, especially to keep Richie in front. It was a big fight like in a sprint to do this. Our plan was to have the guys keep Richie in front and then Richie didn't wait too long and he went immediately on the climb, which is what he wanted to do."

"We are confident. Richie has showed his strength on the climbs. But we can't relax, we need to stay focused and race well like today. The team is strong, motivated and we need to keep going like this until Sunday."

In what was a close finish, the 22-year-old just got the better of Danny Van Poppel (SKY) and Sam Bennett (BOR) having once again been dropped off by new teammate Roger Kluge.

Ewan, who won the same stage in 2016, was pleased to come away with the victory after a tough day on the bike and a messy bunch sprint. “It was really stinking hot out there today,” Ewan said at the finish line. “I think everyone felt the heat and it was probably a good idea for organisers to shorten it a little bit.

“I’m super happy to get the win, it was a really close one in the end. A lot of guys ran out of lead out men in that last straight because there was a bit of head wind. There was a lot of pressure coming back here with the same finish as last year. I felt the pressure to do the same thing and win. It’s a relief and it’s a great start to the week. It’ll put the whole team on a high and hopefully we can do something like last year.”

Throughout the day, teammate and four-time winner Simon Gerrans picked up two bonus seconds at the intermediate sprints in support of the general classification ambitions of the team.

“We said that if there was only one or two guys going up the road that we would try to get the one or two seconds,” Ewan said. If we look back at recent years, it’s always come down to a couple of seconds so all of those bonus seconds are really crucial in the end.”

How it happened: The peloton left Unley for the opening day of the Tour Down Under in scorching conditions. Lauren De Vresse (Astana Pro Team) was the only rider brave enough to launch off the front which formed a situation comfortable enough for the peloton to relax the pace.

Race organisers made the call to reduce the stage, a decision well supported in the peloton.

Orica-Scott patrolled the bunch, mostly thanks to the work of Damien Howson, leaving De Vresse out in the heat for the majority of the race.

A couple of late counter attacks were unsuccessful before the race came back together in the final five kilometres for the bunch sprint.

Australian criterium champion Caleb Ewan has defended his People’s Choice Classic crown as part of the Tour Down Under in Adelaide this evening. The victory was a dream start to a new combination between Ewan and German recruit Roger Kluge, with the pair set to work closely together throughout the 2017 season.

“I’m really happy it started off well with Roger,” Ewan said. “It was the first race I have raced with him and he dropped me off perfectly, right at the front, and that was the first time I had to touch the wind. I don’t think it usually happens like that (working so well together in the first race) but all I had to do was follow him. He sat behind me with a few laps to go to give me a smooth ride and came around me with a lap to go.”

Ben O’Connor (Dimension Data) animated the 22-lap criterium with a solo move but the peloton, often led by ORICA-SCOTT, kept a close eye on him before shutting the move down ahead of the bunch sprint.

22-year-old Ewan said the victory was a confidence boost ahead of the main race start on Tuesday. “I definitely feel the pressure but I try to keep it pretty relaxed,” Ewan said. “My team backed me 100%, they rode straight away when the breakaway left and I just cruised down the back (of the peloton) most the day to save my energy.”

“This is a great race to build your confidence. I sprinted quite early, earlier than I would have hoped, but I have a whole lot of confidence going into the next week of racing.”

How it happened: As the first opportunity of 2017 for the UCI WorldTour peloton to open up the lungs and test out the legs, the heat was on from the gun and attacks were instant. Ben O’Connor (Dimension Data) and Will Clarke (Cannondale Drapac) formed the first breakaway, attacking in the third lap before O’Connor went solo.

Il Lombardia winner Esteban Chaves slipped straight into a support role and moved to the front of the peloton to manage their advantage. With assistance from Damien Howson and Simon Gerrans, O’Connor remained ahead but within catching distance before the race came back together with a few laps remaining.

Team Sky hit the front early, followed by Bora-Hansgrohe, before ORICA-SCOTT perfectly timed their lead out to give Ewan the victory.

After a rest day tomorrow, the official Tour Down Under will begin on Tuesday with a 145km opening stage travelling from Unley to Lyndoch.